Turnadette Alphabet
by atearsarahjane
Summary: A series of non alphabetical drabbles/oneshots based upon an alphabet of prompts. Feel free to suggest prompts for letters not yet used.
1. D for Drive

'Patrick!' Shelagh Turner sighed heavily as they once again veered into the middle of the road. They'd only left their wedding reception half an hour before and they had almost crashed three times already.

'I'm not going to apologise for loving my new wife.'

'Okay, I accept that you won't apologize but just please do not kill us. We've only been married 4 hours I'd quite like to have a little longer with you before I meet the Lord so please keep your eyes on the road.' She begged, a smile fighting through her stern facade as she took in his words. She was a wife. She was HIS wife.

'I'm sorry but I just cannot believe that you are really my wife.' He took her hand in his and squeezed it. 'Shelagh you are so beautiful, so wonderful, and I don't deserve you no matter how much you protest against that fact. If I cannot take my eyes off of you then it is only from fear that if I do that I may awaken from this dream.'

'Romantic but still dangerous. Darling we are on our way to our honeymoon! There will be plenty of time for you to look at me and realise that this is real life. In fact the sooner you get us there, BY NOT CRASHING THE CAR, the sooner you can see a lot more of me than ever.'

'Shelagh.' He groaned playfully. 'How on earth am I supposed to concentrate in the road now? You're a minx you know that? I had no idea I was marrying such a woman.'

'You're not having second thoughts are you?'

'Never. I am completely certain that marrying you was the best decision I have ever made.'

'Good.' They settled back into silence for several minutes, Patrick managing to concentrate on the road for almost 15 seconds at a time before giving in and glancing at his bride.

'Shelagh?'

'Yes Patrick.'

'You _drive_ me crazy with love.' A reluctantly amused groan was her reply.

'What have I got myself into?'


	2. M for Morning Elegance

**M down, 25 letters to go. Q,T,O and D have also been taken/suggested already so any other prompts welcome :) From a prompt by poplarpatience xx**

Half the time he envied her. The other half it was all he could do not to break out in peals of laughter.

There seemed to be no set pattern of how it would play out so every morning was a pleasant surprise. One morning he would awaken to see his beautiful, incredible, elegant wife staring back at him from the pillow next to him. In the quiet minutes that would follow, the reverent calm before the storm of being parents to a growing boy and girl and of being both highly busy in the community, kisses and touches and conversations without words would flow with an ease that constantly surprised them. It was their morning moments that kept them grounded for the rest of the day, both solid in their knowledge that even if they barely saw each other, if tragedy would strike a mother or one of their own they would always have each other to support and love.

more

The other mornings were their favourites though. For every reverent morning of peace and beauty there was one of laughter and dishevelment. One of them would have creases in their face from the pillows or the others pyjamas. the others hair may be sticking up in a particularly jaunty angle or look like a rats nest. One may have been sleeping with the most peculiar look on their face or the other may have snorted themselves awake. It was far from elegant but it was theirs and they loved it. It was the days following those mornings when their separation would be felt most keenly, lunchtime meals were taken in private where not much eating would occur. She looked more beautiful to him on those mornings than at any other time. Only he got to see her first thing in the morning, only he knew the east actions that had mussed their hair. She was his wife he was the luckiest man in the world for it.

Elegance may have been associated with precision and perfection but to Patrick Shelagh was always perfect and she felt the same for him. It was a Turner elegance.


	3. Q for Quickly

It was strange how quickly a life could change. And how slowly it could.

He'd met Margaret in a cafe of all places. She was a waitress in his regular break place during long shifts at the hospital he was working in. It wasn't love at first sight, far from it, but they'd become friends and soon begun walking out with each other. Then came the war and quickly their lives had shifted for ever. Fearing that he may not make it home alive he wanted to make sure that she would be cared for and so they had married. It would have happened anyways he was sure, he really did love her, but it was quick for sure and both secretly worried that they had rushed it.

He'd made it home in almost one piece. She visited him regularly at Northfield and he slowly improved. The change from patient to free man was quick. A sudden influx of patients from elsewhere had resulted in the longer term patients being released back to their lives and he was suddenly a husband and doctor once more. And a father.

Timothy had come as a wonderful, but very unexpected, surprise. The nuns always said a man didn't become a father until the child was in his arms nut he hadn't believed them. During the pregnancy he couldn't imagine loving his child any more than he did but the moment his son was placed in his arms, as soon as he looked down upon the face of this thing he'd been given, he knew that he had never loved anyone even half as much as he did Tim.

Life moved quickly and soon his baby boy was a toddler and then a young boy. Patrick was sure this was how his life would play out for the rest of his days. Even if they were blessed with another child it wouldn't change his life too much. Oh how wrong he'd been.

There hadn't been any signs. It had all happened so quickly. Margaret had been fine, dancing around the living room and singing along to the radio when she dropped to the floor. By the time he'd made it to her side she was dead. He hated brain aneurysms.

He was a single father to a boy in shock and the days seemed to drag on endlessly. He'd spend as long as he could at the office working so that he wouldn't have to go home and face the broken face of his son. The nuns had helped a lot and the days became less painful. Timothy began to smile again and he tried to spend time with him but the caseload he'd taken on right after Margaret's death had him busier than ever.

Before anyone knew it it was Christmas and almost a year since her death. Timothy was out of school and had to be taken on rounds when he wasn't rehearsing his violin for the nativity. He'd called around Nonnatus House to enquire about various matters when something most extraordinary had happened. He'd been talking with Sister Bernadette, secretly his favourite nun, and she'd shared a tidbit of information about her life from before she had joined the order. A warmth he hadn't felt in too long began to spread in his belly as they conversed.

It was a slow burning phenomenon for the next few months- a look, a shared cigarette, her diligent care for his son after he had scraped his elbow at school. He began feeling more than appropriate thoughts about the nun, his dreams were now filled with her kind voice and his days spent wondering the colour of her hair and how soft her skin would be under his touch.

Then it spirraled at an almost unnatural rate and he found himself falling in love with the last person he ever would have suspected. Time slowed only momentarily during his fall as their eyes met over spirit lamps and then again as he bent to kiss her injured palm after the three legged race.

Her time spent at the Sanatorium was agonising for him. He knew now that there was nothing he wanted more than to send the rest of his life side by side with the woman he was sure loved him back as fiercely as he did her if the look in her eyes after they had confronted the council was anything to go by. He wrote to her but he never heard back. Months passed and he knew she was writing to everyone except for him. Even Timothy had been gifted a postcard with confirmation that she had read his letters. The rest of that day had dragged on endlessly as he frantically tried to interpret her use of the word 'kind'. Had he embarrassed her or was that her way of secretly conveying her wishes. He'd barely paid attention for three days afterwards.

Once again his life had changed so quickly he barely had time to comprehend what was happening until the woman he loved more than life itself was in his arms and in his coat, free of the religious shackles that had barred their relationship for coming to fruition. In time to come he would freely admit that he couldn't remember anything between the phone call and finding her on the side of the misty road.

They were married after a slow, agonising wait filled with heartbreak, polio and two weddings. They both knew they wanted another child and wasted no time in diving straight into trying. Though neither would admit it outside of their personal paradise curled up in each others arms under the bedsheets, both were certain it was only a matter of time before Shelagh fell pregnant due to the sheer amount of trying they did. But months passed and there was no news, only hope, relayed to him from his beloved. If the wait for the pregnancy was hard the wait for the hospital appointment was sheer agony.

Shelagh had recovered quickly from her heartbreak, or so it had appeared to the outside world. Only Patrick knew how many nights she cried herself to sleep cried up into herself. Slowly she began to came back to herself but was not restored fully until Cub Colin's mother had suggested adoption. He didn't want to make his wife unhappy he had not mentioned his time in Northfield even with the slight chance that it could come up in their interview. It had and the weeks following it were even slower and more painful than those following Margaret's demise. That had been a horrific turn of fate, this heartbreak was orchestrated and carried out by himself. He had only himself to blame.

The quickness of the process between their being approved for adoptive parent status, his reconciliation, and meeting his daughter for the first time stunned him. He almost felt winded by the rollercoaster he'd been in in only 4 days. He was a father again. Angela was so loved and so beautiful.

Patrick's life had been far from uneventful, the twists and turns that had seemed so painfully long or disturbingly quick, faded away to inconsequentialism as he cuddled his daughter to his chest. His life had stated again.


	4. I for Invincible

' _No-one is invincible.'_

 _'No. They aren't_.' She sighed smiling up at two thirds of her family.

'You know I'd help you if I had the first clue how.'

'Patrick you were a single parent for over a year how did you completely bypass all sewing?'

'Sister Evangelina took pity on me.'Patrick settled gently back next to him as he tickled Angelas tummy.

'Ah. Well I don't want her pity.'

'She could never pity you. She loves you and knows that you're doing so much at the moment. She would only want to help.'

'Perhaps. But it's a matter of pride. I know that she loves me and that she has made peace with my decision to leave the order and have a family with you but I still feel as if I need to prove myself to her. Prove that I made the right decision and I can't do that if I admit that I can't handle having a job and a family. You know how she is.'

'I do indeed but I'm sure, no I'm positive she wouldn't think badly of you. You're having a busy week is all. It's bot your fault that Mrs Penney took a very hectic week off is it? It's not your fault that Tim needs his name tag in his clothes.'

'I suppose. I'll think about it.'

'You know what you need to cheer you up?'

'5 more hours in a day?'

'Heavens no. A cuddle from your favourite little miracle.'

'Hmm. I suppose that could work. Give her here.'

'Here's Mummy darling.'

'Hello little one. You should be sleeping darling but I'll forgive you this one time. My darling I know you won't understand what I'm saying but please know that you are the nest thing that has ever happened to me and you bring so much joy to this family. No matter how much I may complain about having too much to do you are completely worth it. I wouldn't change a single day.'

'God Shelagh I love you so much. You have done so much for this old man and his threadbare son. You've brought laughter, and beauty, and joy into this flat. You gave my son a mother, you gave us this beautiful miracle and you have given us a large extended family in the Nonnatuns.'

'What I have done what not intentional but instinctual. I live my life because of your love and the love I share with our children. You have done so much for us too. Angela is proof that when we stick together amazing things can happen.'

'Amazing indeed. But not unexhausting.'

'I know. I'll talk to Sister Evangelina tomorrow, she's dying to get her hands dirty in something.'

'I'm sure. Now someone should really go to bed so that her parents can sleep.'

'No sleep for me. I want to at least do some of this sewing before I ask Sister Evangelina and I don't want to have to explain to her that the reason I wasn't able to do more was because i was too busy making love to my husband. Don't look so surprised, I know exactly what you mean when you say sleep.'

'Can you blame a man for trying?'

'Never.'


	5. C for Concrete

What had once felt so concrete, now crumbled beneath her gaze.

He had walked away from her. After everything they'd been through these past weeks; the application to become adoptive parents, waiting to hear if they would be allowed an interview, the disaster that was the interview, the awful fallout of his omission and anxiously waiting to hear if they'd been approved even though they both knew they probably wouldn't' he had walked away from her.

They'd been accepted and finally she could take it no more. She could be longer stand the silences, the glances that went everywhere but to her, Timmy's awkward attempts to bridge the chasm between his parents or the tears that enveloped her every time she was alone in a too quiet flat. She found the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them and suddenly her truth was out-she wasn't happy in her marriage. Truth was she had still underplayed her feelings. She was devastated and she knew that he could see it in her face. Just as she expected him to say something, anything, to rectify the shambles that found themselves in, he kissed her on the cheek and almost ran out of their house.

Stunned she had gaped at the closed door before her. She startled as the the world began to shake around her. It took a moment for her to realise she was the one shaking, and that the world was carrying on normally, regardless of the woman who was falling apart inside it. She barely registered falling to the floor, one hand covering her mouth to subdue to swelling cry of agony. This should be one of the happiest days of all her life. She was going to be a mother and all she could do was fall apart over what a mess her life had become.

She had assumed too much and asked too little. She had assumed he would tell her if he had a secret that could jeopardise their hopes and plans for the future, she had assumed he trusted her with himself, that he viewed her as an equal in their marriage and instead she had been betrayed, she had assumed he wanted a family with her as much as she did but she could now see that she was more of a distraction for him from the pressures of work. She hadn't asked him why he had taken so long to provide his referee or why he was acting so unPatrick like in the past few months. She hadn't asked about his time in the war, she thought he had simply moved on with his life. Perhaps this was all her fault after all. So she would have to be the one to fix her marriage. She refused to let everything slip through her fingers. They were going to have a baby soon and that baby would be brought into a happy home as the letter had suggested.

Perhaps it was time not for the easy, one step action of pouring a concrete foundation to smooth out and support her marriage. Now it was time for them to build it up together, one of them to place the bricks and the other to bring the bricks together and seal them. It wouldn't be easy but together the soon to be family of four would be stronger than ever.


	6. S for Strictly Come Dancing

**From a fantastic prompt by superfluousbananas.**

* * *

He blamed his mother entirely for this. He'd told her about the offer as a joke and yet somehow she had talked him into accepting it.

It was a good idea in theory-members of the university dance societies partnered with, and teaching, members of the sport societies in a dance competition in order to raise money for charity. As the captain of the cricket team he had been approached for it and he'd promised to think about it. Now he was in a coat and tails and about to embarrass himself in front of all of his friends. Even worse he'd heard rumours that his family were also in the audience-not just his sister and parents but Granny Parker, Sisters Julienne and Evangelina, and Nurses Trixie, Mount and Crane.

He was screwed.

The only saving grace in the shambolic runaway train that was this entire process was his partner Sara. He'd secretly admired her from afar ever since his second week of lectures but had never had to courage to cross the room and talk to her. Now he had been forced to spend time with her and after a few hours of bumbling awkwardness on his part they had settled into a strong friendship. Sara had the exact same sense of humour as him and the pair had spent many an hour doing impressions of their classmates and lecturers. Her impression of their immunology lecturer was particularly inspired.

He was shaken from his thoughts as he heard his name being called and felt the tug of Sara's hand.

'You can do this Tim. You've worked so hard. Good luck.' She kissed him on the cheek and pulled a dazed Tim onto the stage. Before he even had time to mentally recover from her actions he was suddenly in hold with her and dancing like he'd never danced before. The dance itself would seem like a blur in times to come, he knew only that he hadn't made any serious mistakes and that the smile Sara gave him was wider than he had ever seen. As he danced the final steps and the music came to a close he heard the unmistakable cheers of his family in amongst those of his friends who had 'come to mock him' though he knew they were secretly proud. His eyes scanned the crowd and grinned as he saw Angela jumping up and down, and clapping in that bizarre seal like way she had learnt from their father.

He was soon hurried of the stage so that the final couple could perform and wrapped in a tight hug from his partner.

'Tim! That was fantastic well done! I'm so proud.'

'Do you want to go to the movies sometime?' He blurted out, high on his success and the embrace. Sara's jaw dropped and his heart sank to his feet. She grinned.

'I thought you'd never ask!'

They won the competition and he thought that moment, seeing Sara so happy, would be the highlight of the day but he was wrong. Angela had broken away from their parents in the celebration following the announcement and ran up onto the stage to him. He had picked her up and swung her around before she planted a kiss on his cheek and announced that she was proud of him and she loved him and Sara was really beautiful and did this mean they were going to get married and if so could she be a bridesmaid?

That wasn't just the highlight of his day but the highlight of his year so far (until he had gone to the movies with Sara and she had kissed him that is).

They recreated the dance at their wedding. Angela was chief bridesmaid and let everyone know it. Maybe he didn't blame his mother for the dance competition after all. In fact he thanked her profusely as they danced together. She had only cried harder at that.


	7. U for Ushy Tuf

'Ushy Tuf! Bleurgh.' Angela blew a loud raspberry as she pointed at her parents who were grinning soppily, wrapped in each others gaze in the corner of the dining table at Nonnatus House. The room fell silent as they stared at the tot confused. Suddenly Tim burst out laughing and scooped his sister up and swung her around above his head.

'Yes Angela! Very good. You're learning.'

'I'm confused.' Sister Evangelina frowned as her head swivelled between the Turner children and their bemused parents.

'Mushy stuff! Angela said mushy stuff! I'm so proud of you sis.'

'Mushy stuff?' Patsy laughed as Tim continued to bounce around the room landing fat kisses on her cheek.

'What Tim calls any affection between his mother and I.'

'He's not a fan.'

'So they make a show of it to embarrass me. It keeps them entertained.' Tim stopped celebrating and turned to scowl at his parents.

'I'm sure that's not true.' Sister Julienne smiled attempting to temper the inevitable bickering between parents and child.

'Those were Mum's exact words after I caught them kissing _AGAIN_.'

'Shelagh?'

'It's true I did say that and is highly entertaining.' She laughed heartily. Those gathered who had known Shelagh before she had married Doctor Turner smiled. Their old cheeky friend was finally back and happier than ever.

'And now Angela's saying it too? '

'He's been teaching her. The brat.' Patrick laughed.

'Patrick! You know you can't call him that whilst he's in earshot.' His wife elbowed him in the side as she smiled innocently at their son.

'Oh yes, only behind his back. I forgot.'

'You two are hilarious.'

'We know.' His parents chimed together before hi-fiving in celebration causing Sister Evangelina to choke on her tea.

'What was that Angela?'

'Bleurgh!'

'That's my girl.'


	8. Z for Zoo

From a prompt by mg-bsl381 who also motivated my muse into having a mild revival.

* * *

'Oh Patrick-that's you.' Shelagh pointed at a rather large gorilla sat in the corner of it's enclosure.

'Oh very funny.' Her husband wrapped her in his arms and poked her in the side. They were currently visiting London Zoo and had found themselves getting somewhat bored. The zoo had been a regular location and the novelty of seeing the variety of animals had worn off a long time ago. Now they had made a game of trying to identify each other in animals whilst their family continued to be transfixed by the animals.

'No really look-it's grey,old, slow and, it's scratching his arse like it's going out of fashion.' She laughed. 'It's uncanny.'

'I love it when you talk dirty.'

'Shut up.'

'Okay well then that monkey is you. It has ridiculously small feet. Seriously how do you even stand up on those things.'

'That one looks messy so it must be you.'

'That tiger looks as mad as you do when you're angry.'

'See that sloth-that's you getting up in the morning.'

'You already used the slow excuse. I win!' Patrick danced around her cheering.

'You two are so embarrassing.' Angela complained as she caught up with them. 'What do we say to that Louise?'

'Ewwww. Grandma and Grandpa are icky gross.'

'Your Uncle will be so proud when he comes back from the bathroom.'


	9. A for Angela

p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #454545; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px;"Angela Julienne Turner was a certified maniac. Or so her father said./p  
p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #454545; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px;"br /Timothy had been a quiet child from what he'd seen of him. Perhaps Margaret had toned down the tales of the toddlers energetic bursts as they discussed the day right before bed./p  
p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #454545; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px;"He could swear that Angela drank 3 cups of coffee behind his back as he poured out her cereal. The speed at which her little legs could carry her was astounding. He saw toddlers everyday in his profession but none of them were half as fast./p  
p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #454545; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px;"br /She wanted to get into everything and often succeeded. Many times he had found her in places she shouldn't have been, Mummy didn't know about many of those times in fear of her having a heart attack over it./p  
p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #454545; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px;"br /Everyone doted on her, between the immediate family, the nurses, nuns, other nonnatuns, church members, patients and people on the street it took 3 times longer for simple trips out to happen. Everyone just had to stop and say hello./p  
p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #454545; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px;"br /Her energy and speed only seemed to grow as she did and it was decided within a few years of school that Angela's energy made her ideal for sports./p  
p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #454545; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px;"br /She tried a running club at first but it was far too boring and lonely for her. /p  
p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #454545; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px;"Tennis, dancing, gymnastics, volleyball and lacrosse didn't satisfy her either. It wasn't until she was almost 12 before she discovered Hockey. She fell in love in a heartbeat. From that point on she had only one focus in life./p  
p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #454545; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px;"br /Patrick was beyond proud to see his not so little anymore maniac compete at the 1988 Summer Olympics helping her team come fourth, he never forgot the moment her winning goal won them bronze in 1992./p 


End file.
